Readers: This is article 8 of 25 from my no-nonsense "Mortgage Basics" quick-reference series.
VA loans are government-backed mortgages that are insured by the Veteran's Administration. VA loans are available from qualified lenders to homebuyers ...
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What Is an FHA Loan?
Readers: This is article 7 of 25 from my no-nonsense "Mortgage Basics" quick-reference series.
An FHA loan is a government-backed mortgage that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Although anyone can apply for an FHA loan, they were ...
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Why Interest Rates Will Only Go Lower Under the Current Monetary System
Do you ever wonder why student loans increased by 84% since the last crisis in 2008, and there is now $1.2 trillion in total student loan debt that has been issued in the US? Do you wonder why there is now nearly $1 trillion in auto loans, fueled by ...
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Economic Collapse 101: Ten Ways to Prepare for the Unknown
Most folks are really good about making sure they have the proper amount of insurance for their home and automobiles. But when it comes to ensuring the survival of their family in rough economic times, well ... not so much.
It's no secret that ...
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What are Mortgage Points?
Readers: This is article 3 of 25 from my no-nonsense "Mortgage Basics" quick-reference series.
Mortgage points -- commonly referred to as simply "points" -- are the fee that a borrower pays to the lender for a lower interest rate; one point equals ...
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Negative Interest Rates and the Demonization of Cash
A lot of financially savvy people out there say that the world's central banks have foisted zero- and negative-interest rates (otherwise known as ZIRP and NIRP) to force people out of their savings. The truth is, there is a more pressing reason for ...
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How Do Mortgage Fees Work?
Readers: This is article 2 of 25 from my no-nonsense "Mortgage Basics" quick-reference series.
Mortgage fees are charges that the lender charges a borrower for services that are required to process the loan. When you apply for a loan, the lender ...
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A Primer on the Gold Standard and Gold Revaluation
Today I want to give you a primer on the gold standard along with a fun example of how a potential gold revaluation would work.
There is so much debt on the books now that it can never reasonably be paid back. As such, the only reasonable way out ...
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7 Big Lies About Gold that Wall Street Doesn’t Want You to Know
From GoldSilverWorlds.
It's hard to say which lie about gold is the biggest whopper.
Many widely held beliefs about gold are lies -- propaganda hammered home to have us believe the only true measure of wealth is government-issued debt.
Big ...
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The Fed, the Market, and the Wisdom of Crowds
Those of you who have been reading my Black Coffee columns for awhile are aware of my repeated lamentations that, thanks to the manipulation of interest rates by the Fed and interventions and bail-outs by our federal government -- which inhibit ...
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Why You Should Always Haggle When Comparing Money Transfer Firms
A good website and a recognizable brand name does not a great money transfer company make. With so many options to choose from, there is no reason for consumers not to investigate many different firms when trying to figure out who to transfer their ...
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Want to Buy a Fixer-Upper? Then Consider a 203k Mortgage!
Purchasing a home that requires repairs and renovations can seem impractical. Generally, lenders don't allow homeowners to purchase the property until after repairs are completed; however, an FHA 203k loan allows property owners to roll home ...
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18 Flippant Facts You Didn’t Know About the $2 Bill
Not too long ago I had to mosey on down to my local hardware store because I needed propane for my barbecue grill. The total price for the refill came to $17.96.
At first I tried to pay with a credit card but, for some reason, their machine was on ...
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50 Personal Finance Habits Everyone Should Follow
I have a lot of bad habits. For example, I tend to bite my nails when I get stressed out. I also have a penchant for opening the cupboard to get a drinking glass -- then walking away and leaving the door wide open. I know. I can't explain it either, ...
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100 Words On: Why Lazy People Shouldn’t Automate Their Finances
Millions of successful household CEOs automate their finances in order to save time and money, and help them reach their financial goals. For example, prepaying your utility bills, the mortgage and other loans helps eliminate late fees and postage. ...
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The 4 Best Alternatives to Traditional Banking
You might be one of many people who is getting tired of increasing and tricky bank fees. Perhaps you're at the point where you're even looking at switching to a "new" way of banking that's different from the typical big-name bank you've used for ...
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18 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About Your Credit Card
If you're like me, you never ever give your credit cards a second thought. However, after recently getting stuck in a supermarket line behind a nice lady who decided to pay for her groceries with a giant bag of loose change, I developed a new-found ...
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Our Monetary System: Exponential Functions and the Illusion of Safety
Perhaps the most deceiving force in the entire universe is the exponential function. I get at least one email a week from readers who insist that my calls for the coming collapse of the dollar are nonsense because, despite all of the money printing, ...
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How Our Perverse Debt-Based Monetary System Really Works
No, you're not going crazy, folks. In today's world, nothing is as it seems anymore. Down is up. Bad is good. Black is white. And the money in your wallet -- as well as the stuff making up your bank and retirement accounts -- is nothing but an empty ...
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Understanding the Math Behind the Mortgage
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chase for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Last month, interest rates reached the psychological 4% barrier for the first time since November 2014 and there is speculation that they will ...
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